H20 Playlists

Israel to Fund “Army of Bloggers”

January 21st, 2009 — Chris Van Buren

A friend passed on this Haaretz article about how Israel, like Iran, is now recruiting an army of bloggers. Interestingly, however, the Iranian effort seems aimed at influencing opinion internal to the vibrant Iranian blogosphere, while the Israeli project utilizes Israeli citizens with non-Hebrew language skills to debate foreign blogs deemed to be anti-Zionist.

Although I think the trend of governments hiring people to astro-turf is in some ways disturbing, this kind of public affairs spin, or propaganda, is perhaps better debated in a democratic and cacophonous community of bloggers. The message can be analyzed, accepted or rejected as a contributor in a war of ideas. Its excesses can be corrected and its omissions highlighted. May be that is not such a bad thing.

[…] this blog, including Iranian Basiji bloggers and their location on our new Iranian blogosphere map, Israel-directed bloggers during the war in Gaza, and public diplomacy 2.0 in the US. He sites our own John Kelly on […]